Each week, a team of three to five guides with their puppies, between two and five months old, goes to Can Blai’s residence to carry the activity out that lasts an hour. During the session, senior people stroke the dogs, talk with the guides about the skills, food and care of the dogs and, above all, recall aspects of their youth, laugh at the tricks of the animals and many of the inmates get excited. Elena Llorente, an occupational therapist of the center and driving force of this activity, explained in an interview published in the  “Diario de Ibiza”, that among the pathologies suffered by participants of this therapy there are especially dementias, mostly Alzheimer, and physical and sensory (auditory and visual) disabilities. The visit of the dogs and volunteers "breaks the monotony and helps to keep the high-spirit and emotions; for residents sometimes is easier to show affection to dogs than people," explains the therapist.

Raquel Pascual, a high school student, is one of the longest volunteer training with the hounds and said (in the same article above) that the experience has been very rewarding: "It is amazing to see people who are unresponsive to voice or anything, smiling when they see the dogs”, she says while trying to control the naughty 'Boira'.

The 19 year old girl notes that after three sessions, she perceives greater trust and human contact with the elderly. "You have grown a lot!"  say some residents referring to dogs, week to week. "The presence of these animals makes them interact, caress, touch and they feel the warmth of the animals", says Pascual, who has discovered in this activity a work full of possibilities. Each week, the elderly wait excited the visit of the dogs.

The leaders of the association “Cans Eivissencs Solidaris”, assure that they have invitations from other residences and associations of children with disabilities to perform with them these type of activities and therapies assisted by Ibizan Hounds. The experience in Can Blai is considered to be a push for the project and it confirms the need to carry this initiative out with the Spanish breed most internationally known.

The project for solidarity.

A group of people has started a project in Ibiza to promote the Ibizan Hound outside the scope of hunting, as these dogs are usually known in the island and the rest of Spain. But abroad, the “ca eivissenc” is not used for hunting, among other things, because this practise is banned in many countries. This dog is used basically as a pet, for racing, for agility competitions, and other sports or leisure tasks, which are almost unknown in Ibiza and the rest of Spain.

The project “Cans Eivissencs Solidaris” wants to demonstrate the features of the Ibizan Hound to the public in general, in order that this animal can perform tasks that were previously limited to other races. Instead of looking for their favourite prey, the rabbit, it is intended to use dogs for locating missing people in the field, forest, or cliffs as well as disappeared people under the rubble caused by any disaster; dogs are also intended to be used in work therapies to relieve the loneliness felt by elderlyl, or to help people and children having physical, mental or sensory disabilities. Finally, it is also intended that students  know about these dogs: the splendid virtues, the nobility, the incredible skills and agility of the breed. In other words, it is intended that pupils know what a Ibizan Hound is capable of achieving.

The skill in hunting of the Ibizan Hounds has been described by several authors from around the world, including Miguel Delibes who reached such accuracy in details that is very difficult to overcome his story. Nowadays, this project wants to destinate the specific particularities of the “ca eivivissenc”, one of the most primitive breed of dogs, to solidarity.

The project aims an approaching between dogs and children because, as a consequence, children will understand and love these dogs. The project also wants to develop a series of cultural, scientific,  social, and touristic activities to promote this Ibizan autochthonous breed that has been extended in many countries that have official clubs and make exhibitions, contests and sport competitions. For the promotion and development of the activities under the project, four main areas are created: Rescue, Therapy, Spreading and Cultural promotion and Scientific.

RESCUE

The Association trains a dozen of dogs with their guides in order to assist them in locating missing people or buried under rubble due to any natural disaster. The Ibizan Hound has amazing qualities to become one of the best breeds of the world for these tasks because it does not only work  with smell, but also uses other senses (especially sight and hearing). Moreover, it maintains the primitive feature of strategic collaboration in group which provides it an advantage when these dogs work in the searching of a victim.

In short, it aims to take advantage of the unique skills of the “ca eivissenc” and to put it at the service of the society. The others canine teams in the world who search and rescue buried and missing people, use other breeds that are considered more obedient and melleable. However, with some specialized work and paying attention at the behabiour of the Ibizan hunters, the Ibizan Hound can become in a very obedient dog to be dedicated with full effect, to the rescue and saving work. Since early March 2010, are carried out trainings of  people interested in the management of these dogs with the aim of selecting the most appropiate. There is now a dozen people who can properly educate the dogs for the different tasks which comprise the project.

The rescue team is divided in two areas: one is dedicated to the location of missing people in open field, forests or cliffs. The other area of the team, is dedicated to the signaling of buried people under rubble due to catastrophes. In both areas, the control of dogs will prevail but only to the extent of carrying out its tasks with efficiency in order to enable it to develop all its characteristics and autonomy.

THERAPIES:

The association also maintains some Ibizan dogs to the development of therapies assisted by animals, so it has the support of Spanish associations that have been carrying this work out for years. In this case, are commonly used dog breeds such as Labrador or Golden Retriever because they are quiet and easy animals to educate. The Association considers that the Ibizan dog is perfectly able to reach, or exceed the breeds of dogs that historically were used for this purpose. In this case, it is about getting an interaction between a dog and the person affected by any illness or physical, mental or sensorial disability. In other words, for those who need such therapies.

Activities are coordinated by health professionals because they are who suggest one or another therapy as well as the animals that can carry it out better, always according to the association. In that case, the Ibizan Hound is not the unique involved because, in a second fase, other native species from Ibiza will also be introduced to take advantage the spurces and expand the range of possibilities for improving the health and quality of life of elderly and sick people. The activities will take place wherever the health authorities determine, because the association can move the dogs to residences, hospitals, schools or private homes, where they can be required to carry animal therapies out.

SPREADING AND CULTURE

The association will also carry out different activities to spread and promote the Ibizan Hound outside the scope of the hunting, so that society knows the features of the local Ibizan breed. To do this, and according to the educational authorities, the association will provide audiovisual conferences and activities for children of all ages to know first hand the dog. Likewise, they could also interact with the animals in agreed places with the Public Admistration and the Association.